Sky News host Caroline Marcus has reacted to a clip from comedian Ricky Gervais’ latest special on Netflix. “It’s an incisiveness send-up of all things woke and politically correct,” she said. “Which I know Peta (Credlin) detests just as much as me and you do at home. “Here is Gervais talking about the fashion for putting terms like ‘anti-racist’ or ‘anti-fascist’ in a Twitter bio.” Mr Gervais discusses political correctness and oversensitivity in his Netflix stand-up special ‘Ricky Gervais: Armageddon’ about the end of humanity.

Sky News contributor Kosha Gada says the migrant crisis is continuing to be a major crisis for the Biden administration “alongside inflation”. Ms Gada sat with Sky News host Caroline Marcus to discuss the ongoing migration influx happening at the US borders. “The poll numbers continue to plummet, something like 70 per cent of Americans polled in the RealClearPolitics average poll disapproved of his handling of the border,” she said. “More than half of Americans actually are very happy to have funding as required applied to securing the US border over and above securing other borders in foreign countries. “You often see that juxtaposition because the US taxpayer’s getting fed up with US involvement in foreign conflicts while you see this happening right at home.”

Former Labor MP Michael Danby says a unilateral ceasefire means “Hamas stays in control” of the Gaza Strip. Mr Danby’s comments come as the Albanese government received criticism after calling for a ceasefire in Gaza with a Hamas leader releasing footage praising Australia for its new stance. “It’s shameful that Hamas was praising our policy,” Mr Danby said. “A unilateral ceasefire … means that Hamas stays in control of the Gaza strip. “Imagine living next door … to these rapists and murderers in control of a state apparatus. “It’s impossible.”

Former Victorian Liberal Party president Michael Kroger says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is “losing the plot everywhere”. Mr Albanese has ruffled feathers among some of the top figures of the Yes campaign after he claimed that the failed Voice referendum was not a personal loss for him because he isn’t Indigenous. “He supported Israel at the beginning, but now he’s gone off them, he’s lost control of immigration process, the borders, and now this bizarre statement how it’s not a loss for him,” Mr Kroger told Sky News host Caroline Marcus. “He was the one that put up this extreme referendum. “The loss is his loss. It was his decision. “This bloke’s becoming the worst prime minister in my lifetime.”

Sky News host Caroline Marcus has slammed pro-Palestine activists for “crossing the line” after they “hijacked” the televised family event Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne. This comes after a live broadcast of Melbourne’s Carols by Candlelight event was disrupted by a pro-Palestinian protest. Victoria Police arrested a 21-year-old woman over the “concealment of a controlled weapon” while a second person was moved on. “Those poor children had to be escorted off the stage in a panic – they would have had no idea what was happening,” Ms Marcus said. “How utterly imbecilic do you have to be to think that the best way to get your message across is to gatecrash a Christmas family event? “These sorts of ‘guerilla tactics’, as they’re being described today, will do nothing but turn people off a cause.”

Beijing has experienced its coldest December since records started in 1951. China has recorded temperatures consistently below -10 degrees Celsius in its capital city, Beijing. It has been a year of extremes in the capital, with Beijing recording temperatures of over 40 degrees just six months ago. Beijing's weather observatory has recorded more than 300 hours of below-freezing temperatures in under two weeks. The cold weather has affected small provinces across China, with some areas having to close schools and public transport due to the weather.

One of Australia’s most successful country singers, Amber Lawrence, has been named Female Artist of the Year at the Golden Guitar Awards. Five of her albums have reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. Ms Lawrence has won six Golden Guitar trophies at the Country Music Awards of Australia in Tamworth. “The fun thing about songwriting is you just never know which song is the one that’s going to be popular,” Ms Lawrence told Sky News Australia. “You can labour over a song about the biggest heartbreak of your life and it means nothing, and then you write a song about an Australian Christmas and the whole of Australia is singing it.”

Israel’s war cabinet has met to discuss the terms of a peace proposal put forward by Egypt. The proposal is the most thorough plan for ending the conflict since it escalated in October. Several aspects of the proposal are expected to face opposition from both sides. These include negotiating the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Egyptian officials have also discussed plans with Hamas, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to create a transition government in Gaza following the end of major hostilities.

A Gippsland man has died due to heavy Victorian storms, a 16-year-old bitten by a shark in NSW, fire crews extinguish a Sydney house fire, two people drown at NSW beaches on Christmas day, locals slam mess made at Bronte beach party, Israel discusses a peace proposal with Egypt, U.S. military personnel injured in Hezbollah attack, and Oz Lotto's $90 million prize to be drawn on Tuesday night. See omnystudio.com/listener (https://omnystudio.com/listener) for privacy information.

Shadow Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister James Paterson has responded to reports TikTok is harvesting people’s data without their consent. Australian businesses are being told to remove a tracking tool from TikTok over concerns companies are harvesting people’s data without their consent, as the Chinese-owned social media giant can access a person’s email, phone numbers and browse history using a tracking tool known as a pixel. The pixel can track a user across the internet and piece together their identity, even if they don’t have TikTok on their phone. “This is the remarkable thing – some Australians choose to use TikTok even knowing it’s a risk to their privacy, but many Australians who don’t use TikTok because it’s a risk to their privacy are still having their data harvested,” Mr Paterson said at a press conference on Tuesday. “Simply going to a website … having their details harvested unknowingly and tracked across the internet – that’s a shocking thing. “No one who doesn’t download the TikTok app has signed up to that kind of surveillance by a Chinese Communist Party-linked company.”

National Retail Association Director Rob Godwin says retailers are sitting on a “lot of stock” due to the “softening of consumers’ confidence”. Mr Godwin says there are “huge discounts” and “promotions” available during the Boxing Day period. “When they bought stock for the Christmas and Boxing Day sales period – they’re sitting on excess stocks. “The retailers are looking to cash in on that stock and generate revenue and profit for the start of 2024.” The National Retail Association expects shoppers to spend $23.9 billion over the course of the sales.

Peter Khoury from NRMA says it has been a “terrible year” for road deaths, after 13 people died on Australian roads in the past four days. “It’s gotten worse, certainly if you look at the figures this year compared to last,” Mr Khoury told Sky News Australia. “Nationally the road toll is up about seven per cent – over 1,500 deaths so far. “It’s been a terrible year ... I think road safety experts are looking forward to seeing the back of it.” Figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics report 1,253 people have died in road trauma incidents in the 12 months to November 30, 2023, a 6.3 per cent year-on-year increase.

Iran claims an Israeli airstrike killed one of its senior military commanders in Syria. Iran’s President says Israel “will certainly pay” for killing the high-ranking general on the outskirts of Damascus. The airstrike comes after the US accused Iran of being responsible for an attack on an Israeli-affiliated chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean. Iran dismissed the accusations, saying it is not coordinating with Houthi rebels who have attacked multiple vessels in the Red Sea. “Basically, from a legal, international and moral point of view, the American government is not in a position to make accusations and claims against other parties in the region or outside the region,” Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said. “We consider these claims completely rejected and worthless.”

Cricket Australia is partnering with Shane Warne Legacy to not only celebrate the late legend but also to help raise awareness of heart health at the Boxing Day Test. The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host 23 heart-checking stations which will be free for people to access before and during the match. Fans will be encouraged to tip their hats later today to honour the late legend together. “Our initial goal is to get 23,000 by the end of the year, or by the end of the Test Match,” Shane Warne’s brother Jason Warne told Sky News Australia. “Fortunately, we’re already halfway there – I saw a stat last night that we’re just over 12,000, so that’s really promising that people are jumping on board. “We’ve already had a lot of messages from people who had done heart checks on the back of the promotion we’re doing and it’s actually led them to have further tests from the doctors and it’s already saved a couple of lives.”

Melbourne motorists are being warned to expect major transport delays over the festive period. Two separate roadworks are taking place on the West Gate Freeway. Commuters are being warned to prepare for delays of up to 30 minutes. Three of the five inbound lanes will be closed on the West Gate Bridge from 9pm Tuesday until 6am on January 4. Commuters are being advised to take public transport.

A Western Australian windsurfer is in a stable condition after being gored by a shark on Christmas Eve. 46-year-old Troy Brown was foil boarding off Wedge Island 150 kilometres north of Perth when the shark tore into his ankle. He is currently recovering in Joondalup Hospital. Authorities have closed the beach. They are still trying to identify the shark's species.

John Farnham has been pictured for the first time since he revealed his oral cancer diagnosis in August 2022. The photo shared by Farnham's son on Instagram shows the 74-year-old enjoying Christmas lunch with his family. In a picture shared to Instagram Farnham can be seen at the head of the table, surrounded by his family on Christmas Day. Fans and friends flooded the post with comments with messages of support and Christmas well-wishes for the singer. The singer announced in August that he was officially cancer-free a year after undergoing emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumour.

Ireland is in “shock” after a brazen murder was carried out in a family restaurant in Dublin on Christmas Eve. A man in his 20s has died and another man remains in serious condition. The shooting took place at a popular steakhouse just after 8pm local time. Ireland's Prime Minister condemned the killing- saying it was disgusting families with children had to witness such violence. Police are investigating if the dead man was a participant in the initial attack.

A charter plane which was grounded in France over concerns it was being used for human trafficking has taken off for India. 275 Indian nationals who had been on their way to Central America were blocked from leaving a rural French airport for four days. A lawyer for the airline said it would be leaving with most of its passengers, however two passengers were detained. Most are believed to be Indian citizens working in the UAE. French authorities are still investigating the flight, which had been en route to Nicaragua.

It's been a difficult year for many, but millions of Australians across the nation have paused to celebrate Christmas. The spirit of giving was felt right across the country from churches and charities to living rooms, where children delighted in their presents from the Big Man in Red. In Bondi, a sea of red Santa hats filled the sand as thousands flocked to Australia's most famous beach to celebrate the "Australian way". British and Irish backpackers and expats welcomed the change from their usual celebrations. This Christmas also marked the 48th year of Mission Australia’s Christmas lunch which provides joy and hope to those doing it tough. About 1,500 people and more than 300 volunteers turned up for Australia’s largest lunch of its kind on Christmas Day.